Come Wake Me Up

“You’ve got a visitor,” Rian uneasily informs me. I lift my head from my phone to see who’s arrived.
“Danielle,” I state, absolutely shocked.
“Hey, Alex,” she greets uncomfortably. “I was hoping I could talk to you for a little…” I glance at my phone as it buzzes in my hand.
Sounds great. I’ll meet you there in an hour. :]
“I only have about a half hour,” I reply, hoping that’s not enough time.
“That’s more than enough time.”
It falls awkwardly silent for a moment. “I’ll just…leave you two be.” Rian quickly exits the living room.
“What are you doing here?” I wonder.
“I want to get back together, Alex.” I stare at her blankly. “I just…I miss you.” I can’t formulate a sentence, so she walks over and takes a seat on the couch next to me. “So…?”
“Dani, I don’t even know what to tell you.”
“You don’t have to tell me anything.”
I don’t know how it happens, but her lips are on mine. My hands are grasping her waist eagerly. Until I hear my phone buzz on the coffee table. “Wait, Dani, no.” I push her back. “No.”
“What? Alex, I thought—“
“I can’t do this, okay?”
I pick up my phone, snatch my keys, and leave.

Virginia is already at the coffee shop by the time I arrive, a steaming up of coffee in front of her. She smiles when she sees me in line.
I take a seat across from her at the same table we sat at when we met. “A little cliché for your liking, isn’t it?” I joke. She hates clichés.
Virginia rolls her eyes. “This happened to be the first table I saw, thank you very much.” A small smirk covers her lips.
“Or it has sentimental values.” I match her look, and she looks down.
“Other than marking the end of a long relationship and the start of a new one?” She lets out a small laugh. “God, that’s cliché.”
“Told you.” She shrugs. “So, out of curiosity, how long is a long?”
Virginia takes a sip of her coffee. “Too long.”
“That’s not an amount of time.”
“It’s still more time than I should have been.”
I study her for a brief moment. “Do you always do that?”
“Do what?”
“Vaguely discuss topics that make you uncomfortable—like past relationships and clichés. Why do you hate clichés so much?”
“It’s not something you need to know.”
“It’s something I want to know,” I urge. “You can’t bottle emotions, Virginia. They just end up exploding in your face. Take it from someone who knows. Someone has to know.”
“And someone does know,” she snaps.
“And what have they said about it?” She looks down at her hands and her untouched chocolate chip muffin.
She’s silent for a long while. “They haven’t said anything,” she finally mutters. “They can’t say anything.”
“Why not?” It’s easy to tell we’re both frustrated, and I don’t even know why I’m frustrated.
“Because they’re dead, Alex!” I feel my stomach leap into my throat. “Last I checked, the dead can’t help you with their problems, but they’re damn good at listening to them.” I frown at her cursing. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard her swear since I met her a few weeks ago.
“I’m sorry,” I instantly reply, remorse taking over every fiber of my being.
She shakes her head to dismiss it. “Just don’t worry about it, okay? It’s the past, and it’s over with.”
“You know, that’s what I used to think, too. Maybe if I just pushed the past out of my mind, it wouldn’t haunt me anymore.” I feel her watching me and waiting for an explanation as I stir my coffee uncomfortably. “I used to have a brother, and it wasn’t that we didn’t get along…the age difference was just too big to really get close. I was twelve.” I stop myself.
“What happened?”
“Overdose.” She clasps a hand over her mouth.
“I’m so sorry, Alex.”
“Don’t. What are you even sorry for? It’s not like you killed him, and don’t you dare feel sorry for me.” She opens her mouth to say something but closes it quickly. “That’s the only reason I don’t talk about it. I don’t want the sympathy.”
“I thought you don’t forget your past.”
“I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I want to feel the way I did in my past. The guilt I felt…I know it wasn’t my fault, but for the longest time, I was convinced that I could have done something to change his mind.” My chest throbs with the familiar feeling I spent so long forgetting. “I still go to his grave and talk to him every chance I get, but I don’t let what I thought back then influence what I think now. And I still have my close circle of friends that I talk to who can give me feedback and advice.”
She nods slowly. “I’d never have guessed. You’re so composed, and maybe that’s what attracted me to you.”
My lips pull into a smirk. “You think I’m attractive?” Her cheeks instantly flush. “That blush tells me yes.” I lean forward on the table. “I’ll let you in on a secret.”
She leans closer to me. “Go on.”
“I think you’re pretty attractive, too.” She smiles and bites her lip. I glance down at her lips for a moment. Her pink, lightly glossed lips.
“I’ll let you in on a secret,” she mocks, her smile still lingering on her lips. I cast another glance.
“And what would that be?”
“I want to kiss you as much as you want to kiss me.” I take that as my go-ahead and press my lips to hers softly. Her hand rests on my cheek until she slowly pulls away. “Told you so.”
“That was quite the turnabout in conversation,” I laugh, wiping the lip gloss off my face. It’s strawberry flavored, for those wondering.
Virginia nods in agreement. “A long time coming, too.” She smiles, and it brings a smile to my lips.
“So is a date,” I add.
“Is this you asking me out?”
“Is that you saying yes?”
“Why don’t you take me somewhere and find out?”